Indian American Demographics (South Asian) Third largest Asian American group with a population of 1,645,510 (Indian alone).

About 1.68 million Asians reported more then one Asian group or race in Census 2000 and are not included in these numbers. Actual number of Indians would thus be more.

Population growth rates of 106% from 1990 to 2000 and 125.6% from 1980 to 1990.

Comprise for 16.38% of the Asian American population and 0.58% of the US population.

South Asian Affiliation
Indian Americans, known more commonly as Asian Indians (to differentiate them from American Indians) comprise the largest subgroup of South Asians consisting of people from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

The countries and their respective immigrant communities share some common cultural, social and linguistic characteristics and thus are often clubbed together as one homogeneous region.

Some immigrants from Caribbean, East Africa and Fiji also identify themselves as South Asians.

South Asian Population
Indians - 1,645,510
Pakistanis - 153,533
Bangladeshis - 41,280
Sri Lankans - 20,145

Asian Indians were the fastest growing US ethnic group from 1990-2000 with a growth rate of 105.9%.

Geographical Distribution
In contrast to East Asian Americans who tend to be concentrated in California and other areas near the Pacific coast, Asian Indians are more evenly distributed throughout the country. The community however has a preference for metropolitan areas where 90% of them are resident. Asian Indian Population by US Metropolitan Areas

Asian Indian Population by US Metropolitan Areas

New York 206,228
SF/Oakland/San Jose 144,231
Chicago 116,868
Los Angeles 104,482
Washington/Baltimore 88,211
Philadelphia 52,380
Houston 51,959
Dallas/Ft. Worth 49,669
Detroit 45,731
Boston 43,732
Atlanta 37,162
Miami/Ft. Lauderdale 23,467
Seattle/Tacoma 20,332
Sacramento 16,992
Minneapolis/St. Paul 14,535
Orlando 12,952
Cleveland 12,648
Phoenix 11,534
Tampa/St. Petersburg 10,854
San Diego 10,148
Denver 8,827
Pittsburgh 8,725
Portland, OR 8,642
St. Louis 8,277
Cincinnati 7,893

 
Asian Indian Population by US States
Based on Census Bureau's American Community Survey 2005 (estimates):

- Asian Indians are now the largest Asian American group in the Midwest (at 390,643 followed by the next largest group Chinese at 256,705) and the South (at 370,553 followed by the next largest group Chinese at 278,590).

- Asian Indians are the largest Asian American group in more than 20 US States, including New Jersey (at 228,250 followed by the next largest group Chinese at 122,931), Georgia (at 79,169 followed by 37,900 Koreans and 37,159 Vietnamese) and Illinois (at 157,126 followed by 103,059 Filipinos and 90,569 Chinese).

U.S. States 2005 Estimates (new!) 2000 Estimates India-born 2005
California 449,722 314,819 283,554
New York 336,423 251,724 150,825
New Jersey 228,250 169,180 161,703
Texas 175,608 129,365 102,547
Illinois 157,126 124,723 161,703
Florida 95,043 70,740 46,302
Georgia 79,169 46,132 51,439
Michigan 78,466 54,631 52,087
Virginia 77,208 48,815 46,112
Pennsylvania 75,159 57,241 50,524
Maryland 67,241 49,909 41,550
Massachusetts 55,840 43,801 39,367
Ohio 46,702 38,752 31,945
Washington 41,583 22,992 29,063
North Carolina 39,815 26,197 24,169
Connecticut 32,988 23,662 21,170
Minnesota 30,468 16,887 17,687
Arizona 22,029 14,741 14,339
Tennessee 21,416 12,835 14,567
Wisconsin 19,672 12,665 15,302
Indiana 16,306 14,685 10,628
Colorado 16,150 11,720 10,402
Missouri 15,755 12,169 10,724
Oregon 12,650 9,575 9,669
Louisiana 10,942 8,280 5,886
Oklahoma 10,577 8,502 4,963
Kansas 10,468 8,153 7,416
South Carolina 9,458 8,356 7,569
Delaware 8,550 5,280 Not Available
Nevada 8,178 5,535 4,598
Kentucky 8,176 6,771 5,843
Alabama 7,813 6,900 6,151
Iowa 7,340 5,641 Not Available
Nebraska 5,724 3,275 Not Available
Utah 4,652 3,065 3,020
Mississippi 4,121 3,827 Not Available
New Mexico 3,703 3,104 Not Available
New Hampshire 3,703 3,873 Not Available
Arkansas 3,483 3,104 Not Available
West Virginia 3,247 2,856 Not Available
Rhode Island 2,295 2,942 Not Available
Hawaii 2,104 1,441 Not Available
Idaho 2,070 1,289 Not Available
North Dakota 1,330 822 Not Available
South Dakota 1,286 611 Not Available
Alaska 1,090 723 Not Available
Maine 987 1,021 Not Available
Vermont 975 858 Not Available
Montana 729 379 Not Available
Wyoming 267 354 Not Available

Age
40% are between the age of 20 and 40 years with a median age of 30 years.

Language
Indian American subgroups have preference for their native Indian tongues like Hindi, Punjabi, Gujarati, Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Urdu, Kashmiri, and many other regional languages representing different communities.

Asian Indians also have a good comprehension of the English language and thus often get an edge over other immigrants overseas. About 73% of South Asians speak English and at least one other language.

Limited English Proficiency of Asian Indians – 23%; (Bangladeshi – 52%, Pakistanis – 32%; Sri Lankan – 18%).

Media Preferences
50% of online South Asians read a South Asian newspaper, 22% read South Asian publications on a regular basis.

Cultural Characteristics
Indian Americans comprise of people from various cultures and widely varying socioeconomic status, education, place of residence, generation, views, values, lifestyles and appearance. They constitute one of the most diverse communities in the nation.

Household Size
Asian Indians – 3.1; Pakistani – 3.7; Bangladeshi – 3.7; Sri Lankan – 2.8.

83% have nuclear families and 6% have extended families.

Education
75% of Asian Indians who work have a bachelors degree or higher.

Incomes
Highest annual median household income of $61,322 - among all US ethnic groups (Pakistanis – $45,576; Bangladeshi – $37,074, Sri Lankan – $52,392).

Highest per capita income of $26,415 - among all US ethnic groups (Sri Lankan – $26,330; Pakistanis – $17,685; Bangladeshi – $13,532).

Combined disposable income of $88 billion.

Estimated annual buying power of $20 billion.

Employment
Asian Indians are very well educated and many are doctors, engineers, and technology experts.

Business Ownerships
The community is well represented as small business owners, motel owners and taxi cab drivers.

About 55% of motels in the US are owned by Asian Indians.

Home Ownerships
Asian Indian – 47%; Sri Lankan – 51%; Pakistani: 40%; Bangladeshi – 26%.

Immigration
50% of the H1-B work visas each year are taken by Asian Indians.

26,000 Asian Indians enter the US every year on student visas.

Foreign born populations: Asian Indians – 73%; Bangladeshi – 83%; Sri Lankan – 79%; Pakistani – 74%.